“I KNOW ONLY THAT WHAT IS MORAL IS WHAT YOU FEEL GOOD AFTER AND WHAT IS IMMORAL IS

WHAT YOU FEEL BAD AFTER.”EARNEST HEMMINGWAY

Moral Choices Following Rape

Diana’s Story

27 year old Diana and her husband of four years were trying to conceive their second child.  Both were graduate students doing doctoral dissertations.  They had to arrange their schedules to share in the child care of the first child. 

            She had an appointment with one of her thesis subjects for an interview, but he called to cancel because he was also sharing child care time and was babysitting his infant child.  He offered to do the interview in his residence, as his wife was at work. Before the end of the interview, Diana noticed the subject becoming overly friendly and getting closer physically.  Trying to leave, he blocked the door and then raped her.

            Upon returning home, she told her husband what had happened and called the police.  She was taken to the ER.  She told the ER staff that she and her husband were trying to conceive a child so she was not on BC pills.  She was at the point in the period of maximum conception.  Now, if she became pregnant this month, she would have no way of knowing whether her husband or the research subject was the father of the child.  After the exam by ER staff, she was offered a ‘morning after’ pill in case contraception had occurred.

What is the “morning after pill?”

The morning-after pill is a type of emergency birth control that contains the hormone levonorgestrel, a progestin. The morning-after pill can be used after you've had unprotected sex. Depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, the morning-after pill can prevent ovulation, block fertilization or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. If you're already pregnant when you take the morning-after pill, the treatment will be ineffective and won't harm the developing baby. Mayo Clinic

IF YOUR MORALS MAKE YOU DREARY, DEPEND ON IT, THEY ARE WRONG.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

MORAL - OF, PERTAINING TO, OR CONCERNED WITH THE PRINCIPLES OR RULES OF RIGHT CONDUCT OR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG.

DICTIONARY.COM

Moral Choice

Diana’s Choice

The moral choice presented in this situation is whether it is right or wrong to take the morning after pill to:

one, prevent contraception and two, block development of the embryo

after contraception.

Moral Compass

Like a compass that uses the Earth’s magnetic field to determine the direction North, Diana will use her own moral compass to decide what is right and wrong. Like the magnetic compass is influenced by magnetic waves and even large metal objects, Diana will be influenced by a sphere of individuals and groups.

Diana and her husband have not had intercourse within the past two weeks and the Beta HCG test is negative, Diana may feel comfortable with the thought that she is using levogonesterol as a contraceptive.

Diana and her husband have had intercourse in the last two weeks, Diana will have to deal with the idea of using levogonesterol as an abortifacient.

If…

“MORALITY IS BASED ON A CONSIDERATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES-NOT PRINCIPLES”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

What will Diana do?

Not a moral dilemma.

Because there is so much debate in the world today regarding pro-life and pro-choice, there is not a consensus determining what is good or bad. The problem is not whether she will choose right or wrong, rather what is right or wrong. Diana will be influenced by her own feelings, values, and those close to her, but in the end, the choice to use the morning after pill belongs to her.

Morality, like art, means drawing a line someplace. Oscar Wilde